School Rules

Upper secondary school/IB Diploma Programme is for you when

you find learning fun and are willing to work hard for it
you know how to work with others
you can set yourself goals, plan your work and take responsibility for your progress
you want to get involved in the school in a way that suits you
you are confident that you will learn and make progress
you know how to ask for help when you need it and not give up, even if sometimes you don’t quite succeed
you know how to plan your time so that you have time for friends, family and enjoyable activities
get enough sleep, eat healthily and get plenty of exercise.

Student rights and responsibilities

You have the right to a safe learning environment.
You have the right to curriculum-based education and guidance.
You have the right to receive credit for studies undertaken elsewhere which are in line with the objectives and main content of your own upper secondary school curriculum. The decision on the recognition of studies must be taken before the start of these studies.
Students have the right to participate in the development of their education
Students must be consulted before decisions are taken which have a significant impact on their status and studies.
Students must attend classes unless they have been exempted from doing so.
Students must carry out their duties conscientiously and conduct themselves in an appropriate manner.

Rules of order

The rules of order ensure our well-being at Turun normaalikoulun lukio and the IB section of Turku International School. By law, everyone has the right to a safe learning environment. Bullying and harassment of others is prohibited. The starting point is that we behave respectfully towards each other.

In general

We take care of the environment in which we work, eat, move and be. We do our part to keep the school premises clean and comfortable. We clean up after ourselves and put things away.
We do not smoke or use drugs in and around the school, or on any outings organised by the school.
We follow the rules of safe transport.
We park our vehicles only in authorised places.

Working environment

Studying

We participate in education unless we have been granted an exemption.
We will complete our tasks conscientiously and within the agreed timetable.
Arrive on time for class with the necessary study equipment.
We do our part to create a positive learning environment.
We value our own work and the work of others.
We give constructive feedback.
We take responsibility for our own learning.

Procedures in case of failure and disruption

Students who do not follow the rules of the school, disrupt lessons or otherwise behave inappropriately may be subject to disciplinary action.

Lesson disruption and inappropriate behaviour

Inappropriate behaviour and lesson disruption will be reported once and a Wilma note will be made.
If the student is reprimanded a second time, the teacher will have an educational discussion with the student and the information will be sent via Wilma message to the homeroom teacher, the student, the guardian and the vice-principal. The teacher will put a note of the disruption in Wilma.
If the inappropriate behaviour or lesson disruption continues, the deputy principal will discuss the matter with the student. A message will be sent to the guardian and the homeroom teacher and an entry will be made in Wilma.
In the case of persistent and repeated inappropriate behaviour or lesson disruption, the principal will invite both the young person, the minor’s guardian and the homeroom teacher to a discussion. Persistent inappropriate behaviour may result in a written warning or the student won´t be allowed to take part in excursions and trips organised by the school.

Late arrivals

– The teacher will point out the tardiness and mark it on Wilma.

– Repeated tardiness will be discussed in the same way as in the case of inappropriate behaviour and disruption of lessons.

This is how we work:

Arrive on time for class. If a student arrives late, they will be admitted to class 15 minutes after the start of the lesson or at any other time the teacher deems appropriate. This will be recorded in Wilma as a tardy.

If the student arrives later (> 15 min), they will be marked absent. The teacher will let the student back into the class at a time the teacher deems appropriate.

Notification of tardiness (time and reason): the student must inform the teacher of their tardiness and the reason for it at least 15 minutes before the start of the lesson.

Tardiness will affect the assessment. The reason for all absences must always be explained either via Wilma or on a separate certificate. The guardian of a minor student must indicate the reason for the absence in Wilma.

If the teacher is more than 15 minutes late, the students in the teaching group should contact the principal, deputy principal or a teacher.

At the beginning of the academic year, and at the beginning of the course if necessary, everyone is made aware of the impact of absences on the course and how they will be compensated.

Students will discuss absences with the subject teacher.

If there are high levels of absence in several subjects, the homeroom teacher will discuss the matter with the student and liaise with the tutor.

The homeroom teacher consults the student support service if necessary and if the absences persist, the homeroom teacher convenes a meeting with students´ welfare team.

If a student is absent for 1 month without a clear, coherent reason, an expulsion certificate can be written and the student can be placed in another study place with the help of counselling.

Assessment and course assignments are agreed at the beginning of the course.
If the studies are not progressing, the teacher discusses with the student. If the situation is the same for several subjects, the homeroom teacher contacts the guardian and convenes a meeting (student, homeroom teacher, special education teacher, subject teacher).
The school can also organize an individual, multi-professional student support meeting where the situation is clarified in a comprehensive manner.

– Smoking and the use of tobacco products (including nicotine sachets and electronic tobacco) is prohibited. If a student is seen using them at school, on school grounds, or on a school trip or excursion, the matter will be discussed with the young person and the high school rules and relevant law will be explained. The minor’s guardian will also be informed.

Use of drugs
– If a student has intoxicants with them at school, they will be confiscated. If a young person appears visibly intoxicated at school and/or at a school function, they will be removed from school for the rest of the day.
– The minor’s guardian will be informed and a child protection report will be made.
– An individual student counselling meeting will be organised to agree on further measures and responsibilities. According to the agreements, the situation is monitored by a multi-professional team at the upper secondary school.

Plagiarism means cheating in the preparation of papers, essays, dissertations and other written work, unauthorised quotation of information, incomplete reference to another person’s text and impersonation of another person’s text. It is the literary theft of someone else’s text, sentences, paragraphs or entire work, even the presentation of another person’s thoughts and ideas without proper attribution. In this context, the impersonation of another person’s work, or of a collaborative effort, can also be considered fraudulent. The source of quoted tables, diagrams, illustrations and extracts from fiction must also be acknowledged.

If, after hearing the student, the teacher considers that plagiarism or cheating is evident:

1st time: if the teacher suspects cheating, the teacher is obliged to discuss the matter with the student. If it is established that cheating has occurred, the teacher informs the homeroom teacher and the principal of the incident. The homeroom teacher will record the information in Wilma and also inform the minor student’s guardians of the incident.

The teacher will suspend the student’s performance. The performance cannot be renewed, which will have a negative impact on the course grade. The student also loses the opportunity to receive feedback on their work.

2nd time: plagiarism or fraud is evident. there is a joint discussion between the teacher, the homeroom teacher, the student, the principal and the guardian of the minor student. The principal, after consulting the student, will issue a written warning to the student. The principal records the written warning in the administrative program. The homeroom teacher will record the discussion in Wilma.

3rd time: plagiarism or cheating is obvious. If a student is caught plagiarising for the third time during their secondary education, the principal, after consulting the student, has the discretion to initiate the process of suspension from school.

Use of AI applications in learning

AI applications are constantly evolving tools for the future of working life and it is therefore important for both teachers and students to be familiar with the principles, features and use of AI applications.

AI can be used to support learning, but it is not a substitute for students’ own learning. AI applications can be used for brainstorming and for combining and repeating things, but the thinking work still needs to be done by the student. If students use AI to produce text, images or other content, they are responsible for its accuracy and for referring to sources appropriately. The use of an AI application must always be clearly indicated.

The use of AI applications in the course will be agreed at the beginning of the course or as required. The teacher has the right to decide not to use AI applications in the course or in individual work.

Defacing the property of the school or another student

The principal will verify what has happened e.g. through interviews, CCTV footage, etc. The principal will hold a meeting between the parties involved and the matter and possible compensation for the property will be agreed upon as appropriate.
If necessary, the principal will contact the police.

Possession of unauthorised articles

Once the matter has been brought to the attention of a school staff member, the student will be asked to hand over the object to the teacher or principal. If the student does not hand over the object and does not consent to possession, two members of staff will carry out an inspection.

The item will be confiscated and, depending on the situation, the item may be taken home after the school day or handed over to the minor’s guardian.

The teacher or principal will report the matter to the minor’s guardian and, depending on the situation, the police will be informed.

Disruptive or unsafe student

The teacher or principal has the right to remove the student from the classroom, school function and school grounds.

The teacher or principal has the right to use the necessary force to remove the student, if necessary, depending on the age of the student, the threatening nature of the student and the overall situation.

The police will be informed of any threat to safety.
Online threats will also be reported to the police.

A written warning may be issued according to § 41 of the Upper Secondary Schools Act if the student.
– repeatedly disrupts teaching
– breaks the order
– acts fraudulently

Before a written warning is issued, the student must be heard and other necessary information must be obtained. Before a disciplinary sanction is issued, the guardian of the minor student must be given the opportunity to be heard. The written warning shall be issued by the principal.

Suspension for a limited period

In the event of serious misconduct or if a student continues to engage in the misconduct referred to above after receiving a written warning, they may be expelled from the establishment for a fixed period of up to one year, but not more than three months in the case of compulsory education.

Before the suspension, the student must be heard and other necessary information must be obtained. The student’s guardian must also be given the opportunity to be heard. The decision to suspend a student is taken by the principal.

Cases before the courts and cases that end up in the student expulsion process are always dealt with and resolved on a case-by-case basis. Serious and repeated offences during the school day may also lead to a criminal report and/or a child protection report. If a student is under investigation for a criminal offence, they may be suspended from school for the duration of the investigation if justified by the alleged offence or related circumstances. This will be done in consultation with the investigating officer.

Principles of compliance with the general principles of administrative justice in the use of disciplinary measures

If it is decided to use disciplinary action, the student concerned must be consulted. The student always has the right to request the presence of a guardian at the hearing. The hearing is conducted by the principal if they are not a party to the case. If the principal is a party to the case, the vice principal will conduct the hearing. The hearing is recorded and signed by the principal/vice principal, the student concerned and the guardian, if any, present.

The use of means must be based on objective, generally acceptable and objective reasons. Similar acts, regardless of the perpetrator, should be subject to the same penalty, but the repetition of the acts should be taken into account as an aggravating factor. Disciplinary sanctions must be proportionate to the act and must not be used for unrelated purposes, such as defamation.

A student is given a grade of K (kesken, incomplete) if they cannot be assessed due to excessive absences or missing work.

If a student has been absent from class more than four times and has not made up the work assigned by the teacher, they will receive a K on the school report.

If the student cannot be assessed for missing parts of the course, they will receive a letter K on the school report.

Completing a course to remove the letter K

1. The student will complete the assignments and missing sections assigned by the teacher to make up for absences during the next period. In this case, the completed parts of the course will remain valid. The teacher will consider whether or not the student is entitled to take the exam at the end of the period.

2. The student will complete the whole course independently according to the instructions given by the teacher. The student has two periods in which to complete the course independently and no credit will be given for any part of the course not completed.

The student completes the whole course by re-enrolling. Sometimes the course is not offered until the following year.

Once the course has started, the student cannot drop it, but must complete it. All absences must always be explained.

School Rules

Lesson disruption and inappropriate behaviour

Unauthorised and unexplained absences

Neglect of tasks and underperformance

Smoking and use of tobacco products

Cheating and plagiarism

Defacing property or endangering safety

Disciplinary action

K for an incomplete course